[Congressional Record: April 24, 2006 (Senate)]
[Page S3415-S3416]
>From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:cr24ap06-28]

91ST ANNIVERSARY OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, I rise today to acknowledge and
commemorate April 24, 2005, the 91st anniversary of the beginning of
the Armenian genocide. I do so because I believe it is necessary to
recognize and ensure that similar atrocities do not happen in the
future.
No one knows this better than the 500,000 Armenians who are living in
my home State of California. These men, women, and children are a
shining example of the backbone of our society and serve as a symbol of
perseverance and determination.
Their ancestors came to our country to build a better life for
themselves and their families, and today, Armenian-Americans recognize
that the repercussions of allowing aggression and injustice against
ethnic, religious, or minority groups to persist can be dire.
During the Armenian genocide, which took place between 1915 and 1923,
over a million Armenians were killed, and another 500,000 were driven
from their homes.
We must never again allow a human tragedy to occur on this scale. It
is unacceptable to witness thousands of innocent victims suffer and die
without taking any action.
And I know this issue not only resonates with the Armenians in
California but with everyone in the country. Every day, numerous
constituents from different backgrounds call my office asking what
Congress and the administration are doing to prevent genocide from
occurring again.
It is absolutely essential that we do not let history repeat itself.
We can–and we must–do better.
The Armenian-American community knows this all too well and today, we
stand with them in commemorating the start of the Armenian genocide. So
let us renew our commitment to support those around the world who face
persecution and even death simply because of who they are. We will
never forget the Armenian genocide, and we look to the present and
future with a newfound sense of hope and optimism so that we may have
the strength to stand up and prevent such atrocities.
Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I take this opportunity to commemorate the
91st anniversary of the Armenian genocide on April 24th. This
anniversary offers an opportunity for us to renew our

[[Page S3416]]

efforts to achieve–finally–genocide recognition for the Armenian
people.
Ninety-one years ago, the Ottoman Turks began their systematic effort
to eradicate the Armenian people. From 1915 until 1923, 1.5 million
Armenians were tortured and killed; men were separated from their
families and murdered; women and children were forced to march across
the Syrian desert without water, food, or possessions; many died of
hunger or thirst or were killed when they lagged behind during the
forced marches into the desert.
The brutality of the genocide was atrocious. But the inhumanity
continues today because the Turkish Government refuses to acknowledge
the massacres as genocide. The wounds cannot heal until the Armenian
people receive recognition.
The Armenian genocide was the first genocide of the 20th century. But
as we have seen, it was not the last. As we know, if we ignore
injustice, we are likely to see it repeated. In his justification for
the Holocaust, Adolf Hitler said, “Who, after all, speaks today of the
annihilation of the Armenians?” And today, we see ongoing atrocities
in the Darfur region of Sudan, with innocent civilians being murdered.
In the 108th Congress, I cosponsored a resolution declaring that the
atrocities in Darfur constitute genocide.
I am currently a cosponsor of a resolution calling the President to
ensure that the foreign policy of the United States reflects
appropriate understanding and sensitivity concerning issues related to
human rights, ethnic cleansing, and genocide documented in the record
of the United States relating to the Armenian genocide and the
consequences of the failure to realize a just resolution. And I have
signed onto a letter urging President Bush to honor the historic
leadership of the United States in defending human rights and to
properly characterize the atrocities against the Armenian people as
genocide in his April 24th statement.
Every year, we move closer to recognition of the Armenian genocide.
But every year, we wonder how long it will take the Government of
Turkey to acknowledge the genocide.
We need genocide recognition to honor those 1.5 million Armenians who
lost their lives and to honor the survivors who are still with us
today. We need recognition to send a message to the 8 to 10 million
Armenians worldwide that they have not been forgotten. We need genocide
recognition to remind the world that crimes against humanity are crimes
against us all. And we need genocide recognition because it is the
right thing to do.
By acknowledging this genocide for what it is, I hope that we are
able to help create a more just and humane world.
Mr. REED. Mr. President, on behalf of the Armenian population of
Rhode Island and Armenians around the world, I want to recognize the
91st anniversary of the Armenian genocide.
Ninety-one years ago today, April 24, the Young Turk leaders of the
Ottoman Empire summoned and executed over 200 Armenian community
leaders. By 1923, an estimated 1.5 million Armenians were murdered, and
another one half million were exiled, affecting the lives of every
Armenian in Asia Minor.
Author John Minassian, a survivor of the 1915 Armenian genocide,
tells of his experience. “These fine people were now being made into
refugees only because they had clung to their ancient beliefs and the
faith of their ancestors. They marched proudly under a yoke of hatred,
prejudice and bigotry, their morale high, their spirit as yet unbroken.
They knew that their only `crime’ was being Armenian.”
The Armenian genocide was condemned at the time by representatives of
the British, French, Russian, German, and Austrian Governments, both
foes and allies of the Ottoman Empire.
Today, as a cosponsor of S. Res. 320, I call on the President to
ensure that the foreign policy of the United States reflects
appropriate understanding and sensitivity concerning issues related to
human rights, ethnic cleansing, and genocide documented in the record
of the United States relating to the Armenian genocide.
Armenian soldiers have supported Operation Iraqi Freedom as part of
the Polish-led multinational division in south-central Iraq. Working as
truck drivers, bomb detonators, and doctors, Armenia has not allowed
others to be left helpless as they were nearly a century ago. The
United States is proud to have Armenia as an ally in the rebuilding and
reconstruction of Iraq.
So as history does not repeat itself, we must study and remember the
events of our past. In instances such as the Armenian genocide, all
nations must educate their youth in the hatred, the wrongdoing, and the
oppression to deter future atrocities against humanity. Not more that
two decades after the Armenian genocide, Hitler said to his generals on
the eve of sending his death squads into Poland, “Go, kill without
mercy . . . who today remembers the annihilation of the Armenians.” We
remember the Armenians.
Menk panav chenk mornar. We will never forget.